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It’s Friday afternoon, it’s been a long, stressful week – time to happy hour it up right? Absolutely! But there are a few things you should keep in mind when drinking 2-for 1’s with co-workers.

Loosen up and have some fun, but leave the loose lips at home. When you are trying to connect with your co-workers or just let loose and relax – you tend to open up and chat more than normal. That’s great! Just leave the work talk, any intimate/personal situations, or embarrassing facts out of the convo. You’re still getting to know these people so keep professional boundary lines in place until you can feel out the relationship. The last thing you want is to go into work Monday wondering who’s looking at you differently now, and not in a good way.

Drink but don’t DRANK. You know what we mean ladies, keep it classy. There is no quicker way to give yourself a bad name or reputation then getting “messy” when out with co-workers. Remember, while they may all be enjoying a beverage or two – these people are your professional peers or even superiors. The girl dancing on tables or worse yet, puking in the corner, is not the image you want to ingrain in their brains of you.

Ideally, you want to be the social butterfly that flits from group to group getting to know your colleagues better in a social situation without being the loud, obnoxious drunk girl or the reserved, silent judger talking to no one. Show them just how awesome you are in and out of the office.

Well, we’ve told you what to do when you are unhappy at work … then we told you what to do when you decide to quit your job … so naturally it only makes sense that we tell you what to do when you start a new job!

Starting a new job is exciting but it can also be super intimidating. If you really want to shine in your new role, follow these easy tips!

Be on time: First impressions can follow you forever and you don’t want your first impression to be that you aren’t punctual. Sure, everyone runs late and people understand that – but don’t start off on the wrong foot!

Ask questions: How else will you learn? And when you’re new you get the most leeway with “dumb questions” – people don’t expect you to know everything when you first start a new job, so take advantage of it!

Take notes: As someone who has trained new team members before, i speak from experience – when someone is taking the time to teach you something, they’ll expect you to take notes! Most people don’t have a photographic memory and that’s fine! So be honey with yourself and take some notes – they will come in handy later and your trainer will appreciate the effort you’re making.

Be excited: Don’t let the fear take over – let people see how excited you are to join the team! You’d hate for them to assume you couldn’t care less about this new job, company, or team so make sure you are enthusiastic!

You may have caught our post on what to do if you’re unhappy at work,but what do you do once you’ve decided to make the leap out of your current job?

Leaving a job can be a happy and stressful time – but it doesn’t have to be. You just need to follow a couple of steps to make sure the transition goes through as smoothly as possible.

Break the news to your boss. The most formal way of doing this is writing a letter of resignation. Even if you and your boss have a less formal work structure, it’s still a good idea to write this letter and provide it to him/her. This will help your boss get the ball rolling on your transition out of the company and bringing in a new hire. Human Resources will also appreciate this formal notification of your leaving.

Give at least 2 weeks’ notice. This is a standard for a reason – it’s just the right thing to do. Even if you couldn’t hate your current job, boss, and/or company anymore you should still give them at least 2 weeks to find your replacement and get things in order. You’ve toughed it out this far – what’s 2 more weeks?

Get your work completed & organized. Two weeks may not be enough time for you to complete everything that was on your plate but finish up what you can. For everything else – get it organized and leave some instructions – your replacement will sing your praises if you do this!

Write a farewell email to your colleagues. Again – this may be the worst place you have ever worked, but burning bridges is just not smart business. You never know what will happen in the future and this is a small gesture that will help you go out on a positive note. Take the high road, ladies!

If you don’t know how to write a letter of resignation or farewell email, all you have to do is a quick internet search – there are tons of examples out there to help you along!

Now that you are equipped with these steps – get to it and start enjoying your new career!

Are you up for your annual review? Hoping to make some more cash-money this year? In the off-chance your company doesn’t just offer you a huge bump in pay right off the bat, here a few tips for negotiating for your raise!

Go in with a list of all your accomplishments from the past year. You must be prepared to show a detailed list of what you have done in the past year, what you do everyday, and why you are an irreplaceable employee. Give them a good reason as to why you deserve a raise.

Be confident and most importantly, KNOW YOUR WORTH. There is nothing worse than mumbling and stumbling when you are asking your company to give you more money, it does not instill confidence that you know what you are talking about. Also, if you have a particularly predatory manager, they will sense weakness and shut you down. Not cool.

Do your homework and find out someone in your position, in your city should be making. Use sites like http://www.payscale.com to find out the range you should be in and decide on the number that is reasonable and will make you happy to be at work!

Never raise your voice or use profane language. This should be a given and it will surely result in either some sort documentation against you, if not immediate firing. Kind of the opposite of what you were looking to get out of the meeting.

Hopefully these tips will help you get that pay bump you surely deserve! Do you have any tips you can share?

Not sure when a text just isn’t sufficient and a call is needed? Let us help you figure it out!

I’m sure you’ve noticed that actual phone calls have gone by the wayside and texts have become the main mode of communication. But that doesn’t mean that’s the way it should be in every situation.

Here are a few occasions where a call should be made instead of a text:

Anything-related to work: that should need no further explanation, put your professional pants on and call when it relates to work – texts are not appropriate here.

Dating: When you are getting to know that special someone, actual conversations are of the essence – which can only properly happen in person or via phone call. Too much can be misinterpreted via text and misunderstandings are not what you want to have in the beginning when you’re laying the groundwork for a potential relationship.

Arguments: or any important discussion that requires a back and forth conversation should ideally be done in person but when that’s not an option – than a phone call is the next best thing.

Am I missing anything? When do you think a call is warranted over a text message?

From holiday parties to community service activities to sporting events… if you’re a part of one of these work events, you’re going to want to make a good impression. The impression you make could follow you for a very long time.

Here are some tips to make sure the impression you make is a great one!

Don’t be late! When you walk in late, all eyes will be on you – and not in a good way!

Dress appropriately! We’re all for making a fashion statement… as long as that statement isn’t sending the wrong message.

Commit everyone’s name to memory! Try repeating their name back to them when you meet. For example, when you meet John Smith say, “It’s so nice to meet you, John!” This can help cement their name in your mind.

Avoid controversial topics! These include things like religion and politics. You can never be sure what will offend someone and you definitely don’t want to test those limits at a work event!

Don’t be a conversation hog! I was at a recruiting dinner once where the candidate never stopped talking about herself… and it didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. Her behavior was so off-putting that she did not get the job offer. For an otherwise qualified candidate, a two hour dinner made a huge negative impact.

Know your alcohol limits! Take your cues from the most senior person at the event. If the CEO orders a glass of wine then by all means, enjoy one, too! But… Don’t. Get. Drunk. Seriously, ladies… save yourself from later asking, “what was I thinking?”

Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll be the belle of the ball! What are some of your best tips for wow’ing coworkers at work events?

Hate your job? Wish you had listened to your mom and gone into a different profession?

I think it’s safe to say that we have all felt like this at some point in our careers… but you don’t have to feel that way. Things don’t often change just because of dumb luck. If you aren’t happy with your job, then you have the power to make a change for the better!

Here are a couple of suggestions for improving your work situation:

Talk to your boss about it: Sometimes the reason you hate your job is because you aren’t being challenged or appreciated. Most managers don’t get to where they are by having unhappy employees. If you have a good manager, he or she will want to know why you’re unhappy and what they can do to change it!

Look for other job opportunities: If you hate your job, you may just not be interested in your current line of work. Don’t forget to check openings in your current company! Another department may have an opening and would surely love to hire someone they already know and trust.

Consider going back to school: As much as we may hate to admit, we don’t know it all at age 18. Some are lucky enough to have chosen the right career path on the first try… some aren’t. Now that you’ve had some more life experiences, you’re better equipped to choose the career path that will make you most happy. If that new career requires some extra schooling, don’t be afraid to go after it!

Just remember… this is your life! If you aren’t happy with it, it’s up to you to take the steps towards change. There’s no harm in trying… in fact, you’re more likely to regret not trying!